A letter to the Editor, Warminster & District Archive magazine, issue No.1, Winter 1988:
Dear Danny Howell,
First of all I would like to congratulate you on your achievements so far in bringing so much of interest to the local community through the medium of your writings, particularly about the history of our town and the people who were part of it. Now that you are about to launch a quarterly magazine it seems timely to thank you for past endeavours and at the same time wish you every success in this latest venture.
I understand that your magazine is to be called Warminster & District Archive, which moves me to offer to you a bit of archivistic material which came to my notice quite recently. Whilst referring to some notes of the late Harold Dewey, I came across a small piece of paper on which had been drawn a floor plan of “Old Meetingâ€, the Non-Conformist Chapel which was built in North Row, Warminster, in the late 18th century and what is now known as Dewey House (the home of the Parish Council). The plan had been very carefully drawn and was virtually to scale. The layout of the ground floor showed the location of the box pews and they were numbered from 1 to 33. Also shown are the two great wooden pillars, still a feature of the building, leaving no doubt as to the authenticity of the plan. Alongside the drawing is the key to the users of the pews and a note to the effect that this applied in the year 1828. This was in Mr. Dewey’s handwriting. Which I am very familiar with. Also noted is the fact that this information was copied from the diary of Miss Ellen Wansey, the fifth child of Henry Wansey, who built Sambourne House in 1800. Ellen Wansey was born in 1807, remained a spinster and died in Bridport, Dorset, in 1889.
I have now made a fair reproduction of Harold Dewey’s copy and am passing it over to the Town Council, to go on display in Dewey House, in order to provide another little bit of information for all to share. A photostat for your own archive accompanies this letter.
With every good wish, yours sincerely,
Mr. J. Field, Hon. Curator of the Dewey Museum, Trinity Cottage, 16 Vicarage Street, Warminster, Wiltshire.
1 Mr. Thomas Buckler.
2 Mrs. Lye.
3 Mr. H. Wansey Sen.
4 Mrs. P. Warren.
5 Mrs. G. Wansey.
6 Mrs. Wansey Sen.
7 E. Wansey late Mrs. A. Wansey.
8 Mrs. Noyle
9
10 Susan Bunting.
11 Mrs. G. Wansey’s Servants.
12 Mrs. H. Warren’s Servants.
13 Samuel Haines.
14 William Dredge.
15 Mrs. Lye’s Servants.
16 Sally Opens.
17 B. Debnam & Wife.
18 Mr. G. Warren.
19 Mrs. Kemp & Family.
20 Mrs. T. Hinton.
21 Mrs. & Mrs. H. Wansey.
22 Mrs. Turner.
23 Mr. Garrett (Mrs. Smith).
24 Strangers Seat.
25 Mr. Buckler (Mr. & Mrs. U.)
26 Ourselves (occasionally)
27 Mr. Middlecott.
28 Mr. Halliday.
29 Strangers.
30 Mrs. U. Buckler Sen.
31 Charlotte Brown (B. Hayward).
32 Whatley.
33 Stricklands.